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Smart Moves transit implementation plans move forward

MARC, in partnership with local officials and the region’s transit providers, has been working towards an expanded regional transit system for years. MARC and the three main transit agencies are developing a two-phase implementation plan based on Smart Moves, Greater Kansas City’s vision for expanded and enhanced regional transit service. Smart Moves indentifies a combination of urban and commuter public transit service needs.

MARC received $261,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to carry out Smart Moves planning on the Missouri side of the region, and has budgeted $25,000 to supplement bus rapid transit planning in Kansas, which is farther along. The bistate regional implementation plan will consist of two phases of activity, focusing first on urban corridor service and later on commuter corridors.

PHASE I: URBAN CORRIDORS

Phase I will develop a regional bus rapid transit proposal to build on local work completed so far, and to compete for federal funding through ARRA in September. Bus rapid transit is an enhanced bus system that operates on bus lanes or other transitways and combines the quality of rail transit with the flexibility of buses. The MAX route in the Main Street corridor in Kansas City, Mo., has been successful as the region’s first bus rapid transit route. Local planning for the expansion of bus rapid transit service has continued for the Metcalf/Shawnee Mission and State Avenue corridors, and federal funding has been secured to construct Troost Avenue bus rapid transit.

The Phase I proposal will support the implementation of one or more major “Urban” transit service corridors outlined in Smart Moves, and include operational and capital costs. MARC has contracted with Olsson Associates to help develop the proposal.

MARC plans to submit an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which recently made available $1.5 billion in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grants for capital investment in surface transportation projects. Grants of $30 million to $200 million will be awarded on a competitive basis to projects that have a significant impact on the nation, a region or metropolitan area and can create jobs and benefit economically distressed areas.

PHASE II: COMMUTER/SUBURBAN CORRIDORS

Phase II will center on developing a commuter/suburban services implementation plan that outlines transit services for the region’s major commuter corridors. It will evaluate options for providing high-level commuter services via commuter rail or other viable alternatives, and clarify a preferred commuter service concept.

For more information, contact Tom Gerend.

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Transportation Improvement Program special amendment approved; another released

SPECIAL AMENDMENT 1 APPROVED

The MARC Board has approved the 2009 Special Amendment 1 to the 2008–2012 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which added 20 new and modified eight projects in the region. New projects included Kansas and Missouri Transportation Enhancement projects and Kansas local government transportation projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The TIP documents how the Greater Kansas City area will prioritize the limited transportation resources available to meet the needs of the region. The TIP contains major surface transportation projects that are planned to receive federal, state and local funding within the metro area, and will be carried out in the next five years.

• TIP Special Amendment 1 (pdf)

SPECIAL AMENDMENT 2 RELEASED

MARC also has released Special Amendment 2 to the TIP for public review and comment. It includes North Oak Corridor streetscape improvements in Kansas City, Mo., and two projects funded by Kansas American Recovery and Reinvestment Act transit funds.

• Review document: www.marc.org/transportation/tip/amendments/09SpecAmend2.pdf
• Input deadline: Monday, June 8, 2009
• How to submit input: by e-mail to tip@marc.org; by fax to 816/421-7758; by phone to 816/474-4240; by mail to 600 Broadway, Suite 200, Kansas City, Mo 64105
• Action taken: The proposed amendment will be discussed at the Total Transportation Policy Committee meeting at MARC at 9:30 a.m. on June 23.

For more information, contact Marc Hansen.

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Action plan will help agencies link transportation and environmental planning

For over a year, MARC has worked with dozens of state transportation and natural resource agencies, local governments and private sector stakeholders to develop a plan for including environmental issues at all stages of the transportation planning process. As the Kansas City region grows and changes, residents will have to make deliberate decisions — through development patterns and roadway design — to conserve and restore natural amenities and the environment for continued quality of life.

In May, the MARC Board approved a Linking Environmental and Transportation Planning Action Plan, which recommends ways to improve links between the natural environment and local, regional and state transportation planning. The plan is divided into three priority areas:

• Align decision making with a vision.
• Formalize ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Create a regional mitigation strategy.

Linking Environmental and Transportation Planning Action Plan (pdf)

The project was funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s Eco-Logical grant program, which supports making infrastructure — particularly roadways — more sensitive to wildlife and ecosystems through conservation and greater cooperation between agencies. MARC has worked with a consulting team of Shockey Consulting Services, LLC; Parsons Brinckerhoff; and Environment International, Ltd. to research best practices, conduct workshops on integrated planning, and refine the originally drafted Action Plan.

The work to shape a strategy for better integrating environmental and transportation planning will impact Transportation Outlook 2040, the region’s new long-range plan now being developed. It will also help guide local municipalities, and transportation and natural resource agencies at the state level.

Next, the project's Linking Environmental and Transportation Planning Advisory Group will outline a work plan for implementing key strategies in the Action Plan, which include formalizing partnerships with transportation and natural resource agencies, and coordinating data and information.

Eco-Logical Project: Linking Environmental & Transportation Planning

For more information, contact Lisa Pool or Tom Gerend.

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